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JCDenton Posted 18 years ago
Vocabulary

idiom: hold the fort

0Hi my EnglishForward friends,02br
02br
00I'm currently making a subtitles to my favourite movie in order to improve my english02br
00and I came across there to very interresting idiom:"hold the fort". It means take someones02br
00duty or responsibility in his absence...02br
02br
00That particular person said02br
02br
01i01b00Hold down the fort for an hour.02br
00I've just got to take care of some stuff.02b02i02br
02br
00Anyway, please what is the difference between just 01i01b00hold the fort02b02i00 and 01b01i00hold down the fort02i02b00?? I don't feel 02br
00the difference between these two phrases, but maybe there is something...I don't know.02br
02br
00thank you in advance.02br
02br
00With regards02br
02br
00JCD0-
  

Top answer

02br 00No difference really-- 01i 00down02i 00 is a slight intensifier. 0-

— Mister Micawber

  • 02br 00No difference really-- 01i 00down02i 00 is a slight intensifier.
  • 0-
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14 Answers
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0 .02br
00No difference really-- 01i00down02i00 is a slight intensifier. 0-
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0thank you Mr. M.02br
02br
00have a nice day.0-
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I've never heard hold down the fort in British English. I think we only say hold the fort.
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You actually have, you heard it in your head, in your British English accent, when you read the word.
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Hold down the fort does not exist. The expression is to 'hold the fort', relating to the military strategy of 'holding' a fort so that the enemy could not penetrate the city/castle.
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The common idiom in American English is "hold down the fort." It is a slight corruption of the originally British English phrase "hold the fort." The original phrase is taken directly from the literal idea of holding a fort against an enemy, but by the time it had been transferred to American English, it was only as an idiomatic expression relating to watching over a shop, etc. It later become co
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Hold down the fort refers to a hover fort that may float away if not held down. There is no such term, it makes no sense, but appears regularly in American English. Where is the fort going that it needs to be held down? Hold the fort is the correct term.
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it is also an incorrect and Americanised version of "holding the fort".

Ie, imagine if you will a fort with a few soldiers in. It is under attack from the enemy and one rider leaves to relay a message. Now he will say and will mean: "Hold the fort.... until I return!" meaning do not lose possession of the fort.

If he was to say "hold the fort down... until I return!" it would imp
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The correct phrase is "hold the fort," meaning to be left in charge of a situation or place while someone is away. It originated as a military order, referring to an actual fort, but is now frequently used figuratively by shopkeepers.

"Hold down the fort" is an often used, but incorrect, variation. We don't "hold down" the fort, as it is not likely to float away!
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